On March 21, state Sen. Chris McDaniel sent yet another installment of an email blast for a fundraising come-on he entitled the “Remember Mississippi Moneybomb” in which he seeks $100,000 before a self-imposed “March 31st at Midnight” deadline.
When last I checked the McDaniel “Moneybomb” web landing page on March 29, the Ellisville attorney had raised $26,455 of that total with three days to go. But the verbiage of the campaign cash appeal was in many ways far more interesting than the tick-tock, tick-tock of the deadline.
McDaniel’s message to supporters and potential donors intoned ominously: “The good news is, thanks to the establishment choosing a Democrat to replace Thad Cochran, Mississippi voters will have a clear choice for U.S. Senate this November. A choice between a life-long Democrat appointed by McConnell and the GOP elites or a principled conservative fighter with a track record in the State Senate to back it up.”
That statement presents several avenues upon which one could easily get sidetracked. First, the false narrative of “the lifelong Democrat” and the historical shell game it represents as McDaniel seeks to play purity politics with newly-appointed interim U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Like a legion of Republican Mississippi state legislators in both houses, Smith switched parties in 2010 to join the GOP as a state senator before carrying the GOP standard successfully in two statewide ag commissioner elections. McDaniel consistently spins his political allegiance to Ronald Reagan and says he became a Republican “at age thirteen when I first heard Ronald Reagan speak.”
Stirring tale, that, but it ignores the bedrock fact that Reagan himself was a former labor union organizer and Roosevelt Democrat who didn’t join the Republican Party until 1962. And if the national GOP prospered and began to win elections with Democratic converts like Reagan, the Mississippi GOP grew out of the phone booth with former Democrats seeking a viable two-party system.
From Reconstruction through the 2011 elections, Democrats controlled the Mississippi Legislature. Republicans won the Governor's Mansion with Kirk Fordice in 1992 for the first time since Reconstruction, and Fordice served two terms. Democrat Ronnie Musgrove served a term as governor from 2000 to 2004 before Republican Haley Barbour served two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2012, when current GOP Gov. Phil Bryant took over for two terms.
The Mississippi House of Representatives was solidly in the control of the Democratic Party from Reconstruction through the 2011 elections when the GOP wrestled control away from the Dems for the first time in 150 years.
The state Senate only came under Republican control in 2007 as the result of a party switch by Shannon Walley that pitched the Senate into a 26–26 partisan tie — which gave the tie-breaking vote to then Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, who had switched from the Democratic Party to the GOP in 2002. Republicans took an outright 27–25 majority later that year when Sen. Tommy Gollott switched parties.
Even more interesting is McDaniel’s narrative that he’s a “conservative fighter with a track record in the State Senate to back it up.”
An examination of the record, studying legislation in which McDaniel and Hyde-Smith were principal authors of legislation, shows that McDaniel’s state Senate colleagues rejected legislation he authored more often than they did legislation Hyde-Smith authored and passed more of her legislation than his.
In 11 years in the state Senate, principal author legislation from McDaniel was introduced 334 times, died in committee 299 times, passed 37 times and of those bills signed into law, 13 of them were legislation commending schools for championships, students for winning pageants, or other feel-good legislation passed primarily as enrolled bills. One was a rules change.
In 12 years in the state Senate, principal author legislation from Hyde-Smith was introduced 261 times, died in committee 184 times, passed 77 times and of those bills signed into law, 41 were commendations or other enrolled bills.
Fiery “swamp draining” rhetoric about his state Senate record from McDaniel aside, the actual numbers show that Hyde-Smith wasn’t hampered from passing substantive legislation in an increasingly partisan state legislative environment by her affiliation with either party.
Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him at sidsalter@sidsalter.com.
24 comments:
I wouldn't vote Mcdaniel for dogcatcher. Self-righteous prick.
A flurry of comments will now be left here where the same tired handful of anonymous comment authors will first make appeals to some sort of made-up authority and then will quickly share that they are either rabidly against McDaniel and/or voting for Espy if Hyde-Smith doesn't make the runoff or both.
Sid Salter is about as boring and irrelevant a commentator as one could find. Anyone who pays the slightest attention to his tired old ramblings probably also looks to that fat gal (what is her name? Clarion Lefger food writer?) for nutrition advice. Our state newspaper certainly serves up some dreck...
Sidney Lynn needs a pair of pom poms, one of those skirts with the two-color pleats, and a tight-fitting sweater with a big letter E on it so he can cheer for the Establishment.
Prediction: McDaniel will be defeated by Chris himself and flame out below 20 percent.
Some quick calculations-
proposals per year in office- McDaniel 30.3; CHS 21.75
% died in committee- McDaniel 89%; CHS 70%
% passed- McDaniel 11% CHS 29%
% of total bills passed that were "feel good resolutions"- McDaniel 35%; CHS 53%
I think that's a bit more objective way of presenting the information.
There goes Salter again, 'intoning ominously', as it were.
Salter represents the highest order of political irrelevance as he totes the water, yet again, for whomsoever's coattail he believes he can ride. Sadly he actually believes that 'brother-in-law' type job at MSU grants him some level of credibility.
Wasn't Sid one of those reliable establishment MSGOP opinionators predicting that Senator Somnambulist Cochran was going to win easily before the 2014 primary?
Still don't quite understand how a state employee can have a second job as an opinion columnist that asserts his opinion on political candidates and elected officials. It certainly reflects on the independence (or lack thereof) of his employer in matters poitical.
McDaniel will face competitors that can actually talk and walk. Won't be a fair fight this time. McDaniel may come in 4th at best.
Why can't he have an opinion or publish a column? He is not violating the Hatch Act. Are you so threatened by an opinion you don't like that you think he should be shut down?
Damn. Didn't know that working for a state institution meant that one wasn't entitled to have an opinion. Or express it. Strange that some folks think that it is improper, particularly when they don't like or agree with the opinion being expressed.
Actually Salter does a good job with this piece - if one was to read the beginning premise and follow through his commentary. Since McD started his campaign (for this seat) with an attack on Hyde-Smith for having been a democrat prior to switching parties - and trying to claim his forever loyalty to the Repub party. First off, his loyalty, or even his activity, in the Repub party is certainly questionable since no one knew of him prior to his run for the State Senate in 2007. But that hardly matters - what does is that he claims he will set the world on fire upon his arrival on the scene in DC. Truth is, as Salter points out, he certainly hasn't done a damn thing while in the MS legislature. Further truth is, he hardly ever shows up - except when he wants to make a show on the floor over some hotbed issue. Otherwise, his voting button gets pushed by friendly members at his desk.
Analyze the numbers however you want - look at the actual bills filed and those passed. If Senator McD meets your test of an effective Senator, you should plumb the depth of your expectation - and the plumb bob string you use will not have to be very long at all.
No one said that Sid or any other state employee is prohibited from having a second job or opinion. The issue would be whether MSU is taking a political position by allowing a high ranking university official to publicly assert and promote certain political views. Last time that I checked, MSU is a nonprofit governmental entity, which means that it should be careful about inserting itself into politics and particularly partisan elections.
Sid can offer any opinion he likes. We can also point out that he is a shill for the GOP establishment as well.
As for McDaniel, I don't care for him either. But I can't see McDaniel being a bigger screw-up than the GOP establishment has been. The constant screeching by the anti-McDaniel crowd only encourages me to consider voting for him.
Without a doubt McDaniel was a sore loser.
Without a doubt the Cochran crowd were dirty and sore winners.
Throw in Mike Espy and his dirty laundry and there isn't much of a choice.
"his voting button gets pushed by friendly members at his desk"
Two problems with that line of thinking:
1. Senators do not push buttons, they are counted voting present on every billed passed by the morning roll call, unless you raise your hand to be counted as voting NO, even if you show up and check in at 4:50 p.m. or at 8;00 a.m. and leave for the day. This is what he does most of the time, WHEN he shows up at all. Or they take a roll call vote in which you would then have to be present to be counted as voting for or against.
2. He does not have "friends" in the senate. Name ONE that is endorsing him. Hill, Watson, Parker and Massey that were behind him in '14 are nowhere to be seen. Not a single "friend" is willing to endorse him is telling.
In closing, he has proven two things in his tenure and that is he is a narcissist and an empty suit.
1. Y'all keep shooting the messenger.
2. Does it really matter, the Democrats will be in the majority, McDaniel will only be seen on late late night rants on CSPAN.
3. Yes, I said McD! he will win proving that Mississippi still doesn't get it!!!
Is Chris McDaniels Mississippi’s new Bilbo? Won’t we be proud
Vote for and elect any female or Espy or any other blue-tinted, left-leaning Mississippi politician, but it ain't going to make nobody in New York City or Hollywood or anybody who sits in front of a camera intoning for some news network say, "You know, I've been rethinking Mississippi. Maybe those people get it. Maybe Mississippi is going places," not this year, not ever.
Actually, he very well could be in violation of the Hatch Act if the right prosecutor were to carefully dissect his part time job (for which he is paid) and whether there might be federal funding of his day job. I doubt that's the case, but it might be.
And let's not pretend he simply HAS an opinion. He is being paid to EXPRESS his opinion, in writing and on the traveling circuit. Is that really what a full time employee of a state-supported institution ought to be doing? I'm not sure, but I doubt it, and it's worthy of consideration.
Should my tax dollars be paying his salary while he's laboring over articles he'll and while he's off speaking at banquets and attending the sweltering annual summer retreat at Neshoba? Face it; MSU hired him because he knows his way around newspaper offices, recognizes the smell of ink and can defend them on paper. They don't care if he works one hour a week on campus.
So this morning I learned:
1. Some of those commenting still can't dispute facts so they attack the messenger.
2. Some of those commenting see just a recounting of historical facts as "boring" and "irrelevant" and one nuts sees it as "cheerleading".
3. And, apparently, no one who comments about The Hatch Act has ever read it in entirety or if they have, they lack the ability to comprehend what it says.
I don't know which of you are actually idiots or are just willing to look like idiots and malign anyone to support some politician who doesn't give a rats a^^ about you other than what you can do for him or her.
Or better yet, looking for ways to get a guy fired because they don't like his opinion. Bet they all took up for Laura last week.
Sadly, the liberals and conservatives on JJ make more sense than anyone on CNN or MSNBC. Yes, I left Fox, CBS, and ABC off on purpose. CNN and MSNBC are simply an embarrassment to reason.
7:50 - I'm not convinced you've (yourself) ever read or dealt with The Hatch Act. It only applies to political activities being carried out by persons in federally funded positions. That means people who are either on a federal payroll or in (for example) a state job funded by federal funds.
But, I'm pleased you learned at least TWO things yesterday morning.
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